Method of and machine for finishing the edges of sheet material



J. FossA 1,996,863

METHOD OF AND MACHINE FORFINISHING THE EDGES OF SHEET MATERIALv April 9, 1935.

Filed Oct. 31, 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 J. FossA 1,996,863

METHOD OF AND MACHINE FOR FINISHING THEEDGES OF SHEET MATERIAL April 9, 1935.

Filed Octv. 51, 1932` 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 f /Qn A, R v nlm. f, R. i www L m m w E PX Th. nu mom m 2 (M hz,

J. FossA 1,996,863v

METHOD OF AND MACHINE FOR FINISHING THE EDGES OF SHEET MATERIAL April 9, 1,935@

Filed Oct. 31, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 i SPW?, E @m22 @M L M on J, FossA 1,996,863 METHOD OF AND MACHINE rFOR FIISHING THE EDGES OF SHET'MATERIAL April 9, 1935.

Filed oct. 31,1932 5 sheets-sheet 4 /NVENTUR @Qsfmmah April 9, 1935. 1 -OSSA 1,996,863

METHOD OF AND MACHINE FOR FINISHING THE EDGES 0F SHEET MATERIAL Filed Oct. 31, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 willi/[lll 17 21 /AMNTUR Patented Apr. 9, 1935 UNITED s'rliiji-is,

METHOD OFAND 1,996,863 u MAoHiNE FOR FINISH'ING THEVEDGES F SHEET MATERIAL ,Joseph Fossa, Salem, Mass., assigner to yUnited Shoe Machinery Corporation', Paterson, N..J., a corporation of New Jersey l r.

Application OctoberSl, 1932, Serial o. 640,479

si claims.

This invention relates 'to the finishing of edges of pieces of sheet material such as leatherby the application along such edges of an intense heat v to shrink and sear the leather on vone side and `thereby cause the unshrunkenside to curl toward the shrunken side. v v Y VHitherto this' operation has been carried out progressively, commonly by means Vof a machine whichfeeds the work'past a stationary shrink'- ing tool. Such a procedure is highly desirable when tlievvvork consists, as it does in large part, of parts of shoe uppers the edges ofwhich` have many curved portions of dilerent curvatures, since'such shoe parts may be'presented to machines of this type indiscriminately regardless of differences in the curvature of the edges of such parts. Some shoe parts, however, which are used in large quantitiesphave edges of the same curvature ory outlinesj Forj'exainple, the rear edges of toe tips commonly have radii of curvature of 8, 9 or 10 inches; and many factories use daily a large number of shoe tips the radii of curvature of all of which are ,exactly the same.

The general object of the present invention is to speed up the edge nishing operation on these and other suitable pieces. vention in one aspect relates to a method Offinishing an edge of apiece of sheetv material by applying a shrinking agent simultaneously to all pointsalong an edge, or a considerable portion of Van edge thereof. Preferably, heat is employed and is applied, together with pressure, to the edge of the bent-up margin of the piece, the'prefssure acting to displace the bend toward said edge so that the margin grows narrower until, by reason of this pressure and the searing and shrinking action of the heat iirst upon the edge and then upon the flesh side of the piece, the unshrunken grain side of the piece curls toward the shrunken a finished edge which is all is bent up, and a suitably shaped shrinkingtool is caused to applyheat and pressure to the edge to shrink the edge and to' displace the bend, the shrimken edge beingiin'ally pressed against Athe work support. These steps follow each other in rapid succession, so that the entire edge is nished Very quickly. l L

Although the method may be carried out by the Vsponding to those in Figure' 5,

. piece of Work, I

To this end theV in-` use of hand tools, 'it Will preferably be practiced bythe use of a suitable machine. Referring nowto the accompanyingdrawings. Fig.. 1 is a side elevation of a machineby use ofwhich the Vmethod 'may be carried out, thev parts of the .machine being in positions corre-V Fig. 2 is a planview, a portion ofthe crossbar |3| of the shrinking' tool carrier having been broken away. In' this ligure. the .parts of the machine are in'positions corresponding to those in Figure 7.

Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section with the parts in the same positions asin Figure 2,

Fig. 3a is a detail :in section showing how .the shrinking tool is fastened to its carrier,

Fig. 4 is ahorizontal sectionV of the machine below the level of theWork-engaging elements, the parts lof the machine being in the same posi-V tions as in Figures'Z, 3fand7', 'Y

Figs. 5. to 9 are detailszinfsectionwshowingfsuccessive stages in the finishing of Vthe edge of a Fig.A 10 is a sectionof avlnish'ed edge on a great-V ly venlarged scale,V taken on the line X-X'of Fig. 11, and v i I Fig. 11 is a plan of a nished. toe

section of the nished edge. i

Referring first to Figures .to 11,"the purpose of the invention, as has been explained, is to 1inish an entireedge, or a considerable portion of an edge, of a piece of leather, or the like, by thel application of a shrinking agent, for yexample heat, simultaneously to all points along said edge. The particular article chosenfor illustrationis a toe tip IUO, therear curved edge of whichis to be finished.A Referring more particularly to Figure in which the grain side is lowermost, the grain surface extends overthe rounded and tip with a i :portion partly torn away `and bent up to show aV compacted edge 290 to the'point 3GB, and adjacent to this point onr the flesh side is a narrow locality dwhich is more or less vcharredi'rom the searing and burning effects of the hot shrinking tool whereby that side of the piece was shrunk to causethe unshrunken grain side to curl toy ward the flesh side. The showing oi the finished piece in Figures 10 and 11 and of the piece in process of being operated upon in rFigures 5 to 9 is not asserted to be strictly accurate, iirstvbe- ,I cause the dimensions of the portions ofthe piece involved in theoperation are very small, second because it is very dilicult to inspect the piece at various stages, such as those illustrated injFigprefs 7.1;@ 9, wherein Ythe portion of Ithe work beingoperated upon is engaged on'practically all' sides by elements one of which is at a very, high temperature, and third because Y no stage in which the hot shrinking tool is in contact Awith the pieceV can be prolongedto facilitate inspection.

In carrying o ut the method by the use of the illustrated machine,` a'toe tip l0!! is placed. upon a work'support IT, the forward edge of which is convex to correspond to the curvature of the edge of the tip to be finished, with a narrow margin of the tip extendingv over a. .pla,te `2| and with. the edge of the tip against two gages, one of which is shown at I9. This plate,which, as will presently appear, acts rst to bend upa narrow margin of the tip and afterwardto press the'edge, has a concave edge to t the convex edge of the work support I1. A treadle is `now 'manipulated whereupon the following movements take place.

A shrinking tool 25 begins its downward lInovement carryingwithit a'presser foot or clamp 23 having an operative edge convexly curved to correspond to the-curvature of the rear edge of the tip; and, when the parts have reachedk the positions shown in Figure 5', the tip has been clamped to the work support. The bending and pressing plate 2| moves up and to the leftinto the position shown inFigure 6 to bend up aV narrow margin` of the tip. It should be'noted that the plate 2| now overhangs. the workV support i1 and that there is a space between the under face of the plate 2| and the upper face of thework' support.

The hot shrinking tool 25 continues its descent to apply an intense heat and pressure to the upwardly bent edge. The pressure displaces the bend in the toe tip toward the'edge ofthe toe tip 1 tool isistill slightly above thelevel of the under face of the plate 2 The plate and the tool nowf preserve-thes`e relative positions while moving downto'gether intoxthe positions shown in Figure 8. During this movement the tool exerts a further searing actionupon the edge and also a further shrinkingv action which extends to the iiesh side of the tip, the shrinking action of theV tool at all times causing the flesh side to shrink and thereby causing'the grain'side to curl toward the esh side; and the plate 2| presses the bend (which gradually becomes the edge of the tip) against the work-support. The plate 2i continues to press upon the edge whilethe' shrinking tool continues its descent tothe position shown in Figure 9 wherein its lower operative face is'flush Wthlthe under face of the plate 2|. The parts then return to their initial positionsof rest ready' to receive another tip. A 'Y Referring i'lrst to Figure 1, the machine comprises a base 21 having fastened to it an upright postZS which is shaped incross section as shown in'Figu're 4 to provide two dovetailed guide portions upon which the lower portions of'two carriers3 i, 33, one for-the shrinking tool'25 and the other for theV bending and pressingplate 2|, are vertically slidable. Hardened steel gibs 32, (Fig. 4) held in place. by screws 36, 36 are provided .respectivelyfor the slides 3|, 33. port- (Fig. 3) is fastened to a plate 35 by screws, one of which is -shown at 3i, the plate J5 being in turn fastened by `screws 38 to the top of the upright posts 2S and being. strengthened by two nat bars 361 (Figs. 2 and l) whichar'e fastened The work supto the under side of the plate and to the post 29. The Vpresser or clamping foot 23 (Fig. 2 and V'Fig. 5) is in the form of a bar having an edge curved to correspond` to the curvature of the edge of the work support and fastened to the outer ends of two arms 4| the inner ends of which are pivoted about alined screws 43 which are threaded into the work support I1.. The clamping foot is urged to swing downwardlyat all times by tension springs 415 which are fastened respectively at their upper ends to screws 41 which are threaded into the arms 4| and at their lower ends to pins (Fig. l)Y which are driven into depending lugs of the plate .35. lThe clamping foot is normally held in raised position when the machine is at rest by two hooks, one of which is shown at 5i (Fig. 3) the lower ends of which are fastened by screws 53 tothe clamping foot and the upper ends of which extend over horizontal pins,.one oi which is shown at 55, driven into the cross-bar `|35 of the shrinking tool carrier. In Figure 3 the shrinking tool carrier has been lowered, and consequently thepins 55 are no longer in contact with the hooks. p

, The shrinking tool carrier, ras has been stated above, comprises a lower portion 3| which is vertically slidable on the vertical post 29. At its upper end this base portion is forked to provide two upwardly extending arms 3|a between which the work support extends; and upon the tops of these arms are block-shaped portions SIb to which the opposite ends of the cross-bar |3| are fastened by cap-screws 57 (Figs. 1 and 2). The shrinking tool is a curved bar of ra length greater than the length of the rearY edge of a toe tip of the largest size, and its lower work-engaging edge is narrow and curved to correspond to the curvature of the rear edges of the toe tips which are to be operated upon. This tool is made of a heatresistant metal or alloy, for example ni-chrome,

Vand is bored to receive a U-shaped electrical heat unit 59 (Fig. 3) towhich line-wires i5! (Fig.V 1) areattached so as to raise the tool to a temperature suicient to shrink or sear the leather, a

Y rheostat or other suitable device, not shown, being provided rto regulate the heat. The shrinking tool (Figs. 3 and Se) has at its upper portion two small projections 63 at right angles to each other which are4 received in channels in a holder E5, said holder having at its upper left-hand portion a rib undercut on one side which is held against an oblique wall formed on the cross-bar |3| by the conicalheads or" screws 61 which bear against an oblique face 69 on the holder. The shrinking tool 25 is held in place and steadied by three fingers, one of which is shown at 1|, each of which engages with its ylower end a horizontal groove formed in the shrinking tool. Each finger is rmly fastened to a flange on the cross-bar |3| by a screw '16, which passes through the flange and is threadedr into the top of the nger, as well as by a flat bar i3 fastened to the edge of the ange by screwsl', said bar engaging a small projection at the upper end of each nger which extends into a recess in the iiange. The heating unit 5e herein shown isv a U-shaped member known asfsheath` wire which consists of a metal tube containing a coilof wire the coils of which are insulated fromeach other and from the tube by compressed powdered insulating material. The shrinking tool 25 with its holder 65 and the forked carrier 3|, i3| is normally held raised, and its downward movement is limited by contact of the `holder t5 with the square tops of three screws 'i (Figs. 2 and 3) which are threaded into 'the The'shrinking tool carrier is moved down and rthen, up again by a link 19 (Fig. 1) pivoted at its upper end at 8| to an ear formed on the slide 3| and at its lower'end at 83 to the outer end of an arin-85zfast to one end of a rock-shaft 81, to the other end of which is fastened an upwardly eX- tending arm 83, the upper end of which has pivoted in a horizontal'bore the stern 9| of a short sleeve S3 through which a connecting rod 95is slidable.Y A stop-nut 91, held against turning by a lock-nut 99,'engages one end of the sleeve 93,

anda strong compression spring I DI held in place, `by a nut |63 engages the other end of the'sleeve. Y

'The connecting rod at its inner end is pivoted on a pin I 05 fastened by a set-screw |01 in a boss on a sleevek |09 which. is fast tov a shaft I I Consequently, when one revolution is imparted to the shaft |I|, the shrinking tool .will first be pulled down yieldingly through the springV IGI and then raised into and held in normal initial position.

The shaft |II (Fig. 4.)` is driven in :amanner presently to be described by a large gear ||3 which meshes with a gear I I 5 of half its size fast to a driving shaft I1 so that two revolutions of the shaft ||1 impartone revolution to the gear 3. 'I'he shaft ||1 is driven from a constantly rotated pulley I 3 through a clutch in such manner that, when a treadlefrod is pulledV down and then released, said shaftmakes two revolutions and comes to rest. The clutch is of the one-rev.- olution type but is fitted with an attachment whereby it imparts two revolutions tothe shaft I I1. The clutchitself will not be described since the details'of its construction form nopart of the present invention. It will be sufficient to explain (Fig. l) that it is of the pin type and is thrown in by pulling clown atreadle .rod I2I normally held up by a compression spring |23 in a position determined by a collar I25on thevupper end of the rod which contacts with the underside of a stationary bracket, |21. If no attachment were provided and the treadle rod were pulled down and then released, the vshaft. I I1 would-make one revolution. In order to hold the treadle rod down so that more than one revolution will be imparted tothe shaft ||1, a catch |29 pivoted at |32 and urged at all times to'swing to the right by a tension 'spring |33 has aange- |35 which snaps over the top of the collar-'|25 as soon as the treadle. rod is depressed by means ofl a treadle, not shown. This catch holds the treadle rod down until the shaft ||1 has made a little more than one revolution whereupon the 'freeend of the catch is engaged by the enlarged end of the connecting rod 85 and swung counter-clockwiseabout its pivot. Thiswithdraws the flangev |35 from engagement with the top of the collar |25 and permits the treadle rod I 2| to rise softhat the clutch will be. thrown out at theend ,ofltne second revolution of the shaft H1.` The'vmachine then comes to rest with its parts in the positions shown in Figures 1 and 5.

The plate` 2|, which first moves up and to the left from the position shown in Figure 5to that shown in Figure Gandrnally down to the position shown in Figure 9, is fastened (Fig..3) `by screwsmne of which is shown at I 31, to a slide |33 which is horizontally slidableon a horizontal extension of the carrier 33, said carrier, ,as has been described above, beingritself verticallyslidable on the post 29. The slide |39,'and with it the bending and pressing plate 2|, is urged at V all 1 times to move to the left (Fig. 1) by two tension springs, one of which is shownat I 4I,`one end'of each of said springs being fastened to the shrinking tool carrier 3| and the otherV to the under side of the slide |39. In the positions shown in Figures l and 5, the plate 2| is, prevented from movement tothe left by contact of its forward edge with the Yedge of the work support I1. When,

however, the carrier 33 is movedup, ina man ner presently to be described, so as to raise the bending and vpressing plate 2| above the level of the topof the work support, these tension springs move the plate to Vthe left into the position shown in Figure-6, the extent of this movement being determined by an adjustable stop-screw |43 (Fig. 1) which is rthreaded through a depending lug on the slide |39 and contactsv at its inner end withal part of the frame of the machine. .Y

YAfter theiplate 2| has been movedv up and .to the left, as just described, and while theshrinking tool and the plate'are being moved down from the positionshown in Figure 6 to thatshown in Figure 9, the plate has a tendency to move to the vthe projecting ends of said bar are the rear ends of two rods |39 having near their forward ends dovetailed notches |5I into which suitably shaped `portions of the two block-shaped portions 3|b of theforkof the shrinking tool carrier 3| move when the shrinking tool carrier descends, so that the shrinking tool and the plate 2| are prevented from horizontal movement or separatio'nuntil after the completion of the operation upon the work.

'The carrier 33 Aof the bending and pressing plate 2| is urged at all times toV move up,V by La strong Ytension spring I 53 (Figi) fast at one end to the 'bracket |21 and at'the. other end to the outerend'of anarmA |551thehub of ,whichis fastened .tota rock-shaft |51-bya set-screwV |59. Also fast tovthis 'rock-shaftis a'small arm "ISI provided with a stop-screw |63 the inner end of Y.

which, Yby contacting with a vertical face |65' on a part of the frame, limits the extent of .upward movement of the carrier 33. Fast to this Y rock-shaft beyond the arm IBI', "as viewed in Figure 1, is the hub of a forked'arm |61 (see also Fig. 4) `between the branches of the. fori;

ofV which there is pivoted at |69fthe lower end ofra link I'II', the upper endofwhich is pivoted at |12 to alugon the carrier 33. With the construction thus far described, the heavy compression spring |53 will rock the shaft |51 from the Yposition shown in Figure 1 to the position shown in Figure 3 soy as toY raise the carrier 33 whenever it is permitted to do so. The vertical movement of the carrier 33 is controlled by a cam. |13 (Fig. 3). In the position of parts shown in .Figure l, this cam, which does not appear-in that figure, is holding thearm |55 in its extremeleft-hand position against the ten- :sionof the spring |53 and is"theref ore holding receive one'end of the pivot |69 which connects thelower end of the link l1! to the outer end of the forked'arm |61. Movements ofthe crank |11 are, therefore, imparted to the rock-shaft |51.V After the parts of the machine have reached the positions shown in Figure 9 and the bending plate 2| has been movedto the right in a manner presently to be described, the high part of the cam |13 will engage the roll |15 and swing the crank |11 to the left as viewed in Figure 3 to lower Ythe carrier 33 and will come to rest with the parts of the Amachine in theV positions shown: in Figures l and V5. Before, however, the Carrier 33,can be pulled down vfrom the position shown in Figure 3, the slide |39 must be moved to the right. In order to accomplish this, a depending lug on the. slide E39. is engaged by the upper end of an upright arm |19 pivoted Y at ISI and carrying a small roll |82 which is engaged at the proper time by the high portion of a cam |83 on the shaft |||.v

It has been explained thatV the initial positions of the parts are shown in Figure l5, that the shrinking tool begins its downward movement, and that during this downward movement the plate 2| moves down;v The shrinking tool moves downward continuously, and the downward movement of the plate 2| is imparted to said plate from the downwardly moving carrier. In

order that the shrinking tool mayV rst carryV on a small plate |93-which is fastened tothe slide |39 by cap-screws |94.' The end of the stem of the forked member is attached by a spring |95 to a pin |91 driven into the frame, this spring being ofV suincient strength in comparison with that of the spring |53 so that, when the screw-bolts engage the upturned ends of the branches ofthe forked member |89, the plate 2| and its carrier 33 Vare pushed down against the force of the spring |53 which. tends always to push the carrier up; When`v the shrinking tool 25 has reached the position shown in Figure 7, the screw-bolts |85 are in contact with the up-turned end of the forked member |89, and consequently the shrinking tool 25 and the plate 2| then move downv together into the position shown in Figure 8, their relative positions being the same as in Figure 'l'.V rlhe plate 2| can move down no farther, or at least not appreciablyfarther. In order to permit the shrinking tool `to continue its downward movement to the positionv shownin Figure 9, in which its lower edge is on a level with the underface of the plate 2| or little below said level as may be desired, the forked member |89 (Fig. 3) is rocked in a counter-clockwise direction about its pivot-screws so as to lower the upturned ends of the branches of the forked member |89, said rocking being brought about by a `earn |93 on Y the shaft, ||1 which engages the lower rounded end of a bar |99,`the upper end of which is fastened to the rear end ofthe stem of the forked member |89. When the forked member is thus rocked,v its left-hand end (Fig. 3) is low- Aered,.and the shrinking tool 25 is permitted to move down from the ,position shown in Figure 8 toY that shown in Figure 9 to complete the operation upon Ythe work. I

-It is desirable to cause the tool to dwell in this position for an interval which may be longer or shorter according to the thickness and hardness of the. work.Y In order to provide for suchV a difference in the dwell of the shrinking tool on various kinds of leather, the shaft is not rotated at a constant angular velocity but is caused to rotate fasterv in some ofthe angular positions of its path of rotation than in others; and vmechanism is provided for controlling this harmonic motion of the shaft so as to cause the shrinking tool to have a longer or shorter dwell as may be desired. To this end the shaft (Fig. 4) has'fast to it the hub of a slotted arm 20|, and extending into the radial slot is a roll 293 rotatably mounted on a pin which passes through abore in the'gear I3 and is held firmly in place by a nut 285. This gear is rotatably mounted on a short spindle 201 fastened by a set-screw 288in a boss near the middle of a lever 299, the hub of which is rotatable on the driving shaft ||1. Pivoted to a lug on the lever at 2 is a small lever or latch 2|3 which is urged at all times to rotate about its pivot by a small compression spring 2|5, said latch having pivoted to it at one end at 2 I1 a locking pin 2 9 which Vpasses through a bore in the lever 209 and may be caused to enter any one of a series of holes 22| (Fig. 3) in an upstanding'stationary member 223. Referring again to Figure 4, if theaxis of rotation of the short shaft 201 Yis in alinement with the axis of the shaft I, auniform angular velocity will be Vimparted -to the shaftr since the roll 293 will always be at the same distance from the axis of the shaft and if, by manipulating Vthelever 209, the axis of the short shaft is held above or below the axis of the .shaft a harmonic motion will be imparted to the shaft By moving the lever 209 into and locking it in different positions, the length of the'dwell of the shrinking tool in the position shown in Figure 9 may be varied.

The edge gages I9, one of which appears'in Y Figures 5 to 9 and both of which are shown in Figure 2,k are mounted respectively at the outer ends of flexible stems 225 above openings in the plate 2|, the inner ends of said stems being adjustably Yfastened to the `plate 2| by screws 221' which pass through slots in said stems and are threaded into the plate. By reason of the flexible stems and the openings in the plate, the'gages are permitted to yield downwardly as shown in Figures '7, 8 and 9 when the shrinking tool descends.'

Assuming that the parts of the machine are in the positions shown in Figures land 5, the operator places a t'oe tip upon the work support I1 V.with its rear edge against the gages I9, and depresses and then releases a treadle, not shown, which is attached to the lower end of the treadle rod |2| to start the machine. The connecting rod is pulledto the right and, throughv the compression spring IUI, the arms 89 and 85,'and

*the link 19, starts the downward movement of the vertical face |65on a part of the frame there'- by raising the plate 2| above and out f contact with'the edge of the Worksupport As soon as this occurs, the tension springs |l|| pull the plate 2| to the-left as far as the stop-screw |43 permits. The parts are then in the positions shown in Figure 6 with the margin of the tip bent up and the shrinking tool Vmoving down. `The Y shrinking tool continuesits downward movement while lthe plate `2| remains stationary unt-il the position of parts shown in Figure 7 hasbeen reached, and the bend in the tip has been dis'- placed toward the right into the spacebetween the plate 2l and the work support; VAt this time, the lower ends of the screw-bolts |85 have engaged the upturned ends of the branches of the forked member |89 and farther downward movement of the shrinking toolrcarries the plate 2| down with it until the positionshown in Figure 8 has been reached. At this time the cam |93` engages the lower end of the bar |99 and rocks the forked member 1'89 counter-clockwise', as viewed in Figures 1 and'3, thereby lowering the upturned ends of the branches of the forked member and permitting the shrinking tool to continueits downward movement until the parts have reached .thev positions shown in Figure 9. The parts are held in this position for an interval dependent upon the position in which the hand lever 2dev has been previously locked. The connecting rod 95 (Fig. lv) then-moves to the left to-raise the shrinking tool; and, 'during this raising movey ment, the cam |83 (Fig. 3) by engaging the roll |82 on the arm |19 moves the slide |39, and with-.it the plate 2|, .tothe right. Finally, the cam |13 engages the roll |75 and pulls. the carrier 33 down so that the machine comes to rest with the parts in the positionsshownin Figures 1 and 5. Y f

Throughout the description of the invention given above, reference has been made to finishing an edge of the piece of work by applying a shrinking heatsimultaneously .to all points' along said' edge.` lt'willbe understood, orcourse, that the invention is applicable to the finishing of any suitable portion of an-edge as distinguished from the progressive method of nishing in which very small portions are finished in succession.V The expression applying heat simultaneously to all points along the edge which occurs in the appended claims isintended to include the application of vheat `in the manner described throughout a considerable extent along the edge whether or not the application is made along the entireY edge.. Although in the particular machine herein lillustrated the work 'support' is stationary and certain movements areimparted to thelbending platerand to the tool, it should be understood that suitable relative movements of the .parts will produce the desired result and that the invention, so' far as the machine is concerned, is not limited in the scope of its application to the particular machine'which has been shown and described.

Having described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent` of;

the United States is: f

1.v The method of nishing the edge of a piece of leather or the like which comprises holding the piece from lateral and endwise movement, forming a bend along an'edgethereof, applying a shrinking heat and pressure to saidedge to sear and shrink said edge and to displace the bend, and pressing the shrunken edge; I n, 1 r

2. Themethod of iinishing the edge of a piece of leather or the like which comprises'holding'the piece from lateral and endwise movement, forminga bend Valong, an edge thereof, applying pres,- sure and heat to said edge to displace the bend .toward the edge and to sear andshrink the piece on one side thereof whereby the unshrunken side curls toward the shrunken side, and pressing the curled edge.

'3. The method of nishing the edge of a piece of leather or the like which comprises holding thel piece from lateral and endwise movement, forming a bend `along anedge thereof, applying presthe piece from lateral and endwisemovement,

forming a bend along an edge thereof, applying a shrinking searing heat and pressure to said edge to burn away a portion of the edge, to displace the bend toward said edge and to shrink the piece on one sideso that theunshrunken sidecurls toward the shrunken side, and-pressing the curled edge.

5. The method of nishing the edge of a piece of leather or the like which comprises holding' the piece from lateral and endwise movement,

forming a bend along an edge thereof, applyingy a shrinking'searing heat and pressure to said edge to burn away a portion of theedge, to displace the bend toward said edge and to shrink the piece on one side so thatV the unshrunken `side curls toward the shrunken side, and pressingvthe curled edge while continuing the application of heat. l 6. A machine for finishing the edge of a piece of leather or the like having, in combination, cooperating members for holding the piece fromlateral and endwise movement, and means relatively movable with respect to said holding members for applying a shrinking heat simultaneously to all points along an edge thereof.

7. A machine for' iinishing. the edge-of apiece of leather or the likehaving, in combination, work clamping means .for holding the piece stationary,

and means relatively movable withrespect to' said'clamping means for applying ay shrinking tool simultaneously to all points along yan-edge thereof.`

8. A machine fornishingvthe edgerof`V apiece of leather or Athe like having, in combination4 means for holding the piece from lateral'andendwise movement,means-forjapplying a shrinking heat simultaneouslyto all points along an 'edger thereof to shrink one sideof the piece along the edge-and cause the unshrunken side to curl'toi the curled edge. v Y

9. VA machinevfor iinishing the edge of a piece, of leather or the like having, in combination, meansY for holding the. piece from lateral and Ward the shrunken side, and means forl pressing endwise movement, means for applyinga shrinking heat simultaneously'to all points alongan edge thereof'to shrink oneside of the piece along.

the edge and cause the unshrunken side toV curl toward the shrunken side, and'means for pressing the curled edge while the shrinking tool' is still operating upon the piece. Y Y

thereof, and meansforrapplying a shrinking. heat simultaneously to all pointsalongsaid edge.

10. A machine for iinishingthe edge of a piece of leather or the like having, in, combination, rmeans for clamping the piece adjacent to an edge Q Leonesa the clamping means and the tool to cause the,

tool to be applied along said edge.

l2, A machine for nishing the edge of` a piece of leather or the like having, in combination, la,

work support, means for holding the vpiece on the support, a shrinking tool shaped to correspond to the outline of thev edge of they piece; and means for causing relative movement of approach between the support andthe tool to cause the tool to be applied along the edge of the piece. g Y Y y Y Y Y i3. A machine for nishing the edge of a piece of leather` or the like having,.in combination, a work support, means for holding the piece on the support, a shrinking'tool shaped to correspond to the outline of the edge of the piece, and yieldingmeans for causing' relative movement of approach between the support and they tool to cause the tool to be applied along the edge of the piece.

14. A machine for iinishingthe edge of a piece of leather or the like having, incombination, a

` spond to the outline of the edge ofthe piece,

means for clanipingthe' piece to the support with a margin of the piece projecting beyond.` the edge of the work support, a member having an edge shaped to yiit the edgeofrthe work support for bending up the margin of the piece, and a shrinking tool for applying. heat to the bent-up4 margin.

'16. A machine for nishing the edge of a piece of leather or the like having, in combination', a

work support having an edge shaped to correv spond to the outline of; the edge ofVV the piece,

meansjforjclamping the pieceto the support with a margin of the piece projecting beyond the edge of the work support, a member having an edge shaped to 't the edge of the work support for rbending up the margin of the piece, and a 1 shrinking tool shaped ,to correspond to the outline of the edge of the pieceJ Afor applying heat toV the bent-iup. margin.

k17. A machine for finishing the edge. of a pieceV ofleather or the like having, inl combination, a. work support having an edge shaped to correspond to the curvatureV of the edge of the piece, a bending and pressingzfplate. having an edge shaped complementary to, that of the work` support, a shrinking tool shaped to correspond to the curvature of the edgerof the fpiece, means for holding the piece stationary Vwith respect toV the work support, and means for causingthe piece, While so held, to be operated upon by the shrinking tool and by the bending and pressing plate. v

' 18. A machine for nishing the edge of a piece of leather or the like having, vin combination, a

work .support having an edge shaped to corre. spond tothe curvature oftheedge of the piece, aV berudinrr andY pressing. plate having an4 edge;

shaped complementary to vthat of the work sup` port, a shrinking tool shaped to' correspond to the curvature of the edge ofthe piece, means for clamping the piece to the work support with its margin extending over the plate, means for causing the plate to overhang the work support in spaced relation thereto in such manner that the margin of the piece is bent up, means for causing theshrinkingtool to shrink the edge of the piece vand to crowd a portion of the piece into the space between ,the plate andV the work support, and means for thereafter causing relative movement of approach betweenthe plate and the work sup,- port to exert pressure upon this portion.'

19. A machinevfor finishing the edge of a piece of leather or the like having, in combination, a work support and a bending and pressing plate having adjacent edges shaped complementary to each other to correspond to the outline of the edge of the piece, means for moving the plate into a positionv in which it overhangs and is spaced above the work support, a shrinking tool shaped to correspond to the outline of the edge or" the piece, and means for moving the tool toward thework support while maintaining it close tothe edge of the plate and for causing relative movement of'approach between the Work support andthe plate. ZOJA machine for nishing the edge of a piece of leather or the like having, incombination, a. work support, means for clamping the piece upon the support, a bending and pressing plate, means for producing relative movement between the support and the plate to bend up a narrow margin of the piece and to cause the plate to overhang f and to be spaced from the support, a shrinking tool shaped Ytoccorrespond to. the outline of the edge of the piece, means for causing the tool to, exert pressure uponV thefedge to displace the bend into the space between the plate and the support, and means for producing relative move-k ment of approach between the support and the plate to exert pressure upon that portion ofthe piece which is between them.

21,. A machine for finishing the edge of a piece of leather or the like having, in combination, a work support, means for clamping the piece upon the support, a bending plate, means for producing relative vertical and horizontal movement between'the support and the plate tov bend upv a narrow margin of the piece, a shrinking tool vof Ythe piece, means for moving the plate into a position in which vit overhangsthe support., and is spacedA above the support, and means for moving the itool downward, and for moving the plate downward with the tool. Y

23. A machine for nishing the edge ofv apiece of leather orY thelike having, in combination, a

work support,.a bending plate, means for clamp,- ing the piece on the support, means for raising Vthe'bending plate, to bend up the margin of the workj and hold it bent up, va shrinking. tool normally located at a'level above'that oi the bent-up margin, andmeans tor movingV the tool,

a shrinking tool shaped to correspond to the out.- .line of the edge of the piece, means for causing" toward the support while maintaining it close to the edge of the raised bending plate.

24. A machine for finishing the edge of a piece of leather or the like having, in combination, a Work support, a bending plate, means for clamping the piece on the work support, means for causing the bending plate to bend up lthe margin of the work, a shrinking tool, and means operating first to vmove the tool toward the support While the plate remains stationary, then to move boththe tool and the plate toward the support, and nally again to move the tool but not the plate toward the support.

25. A machine for Vfinishing the edge of a piece of leather or the like having, in combination, a Work support, means for'clampingthe piece upon the support, a bending plate, means for moving the plate into a position in which it overhangs the Work support and is spaced above it to bend up a margin of the piece, means for locking'the plate and the work support against khorizontal movement of separation, a shrinking tool shaped to correspond to the outline of the edge of the piece, means for moving Athe tool e toward the work support to sear and shrink the leather on one side along the edge and thereby cause the unshrunken side to curl' toward the shrunken side, and means for lowering thebending platev to press the curled edge.

26. A machine for iinishing the edge of a piece of leather or the like having,` in combination,.a work support, a bending plate, means for clamping the piece upon the support with a margin of the piece bent up against an edge of the plate,

a shrinking tool shaped to correspond tothe outline of the edge of the piece, and means for causing thev shrinking tool to apply heat and pressure to the edge of the piece.

27. A machine for nishing the edge of apiece of leather or the like having, in combination, a work support, a bending plate, means for clamping the piece upon the support with a margin of the piece bent up against an'edge of the plate, a shrinking tool shaped to correspond to the outline of the edge of the piece, means for causing the shrinking tool to apply heat and pressure to the edge of the piece, and means for causing relative movement of the work support and the bending plate to press the edge.

28. A machine for finishing the edge of apiece of leather or the like having, in combination, a work support, a bending plate, means for clamping the piece upon the support with a margin of the piece bent up against the edge ofthe plate,

the shrinking tool to apply pressure to the ejdge -v of the piece to force the bend into the space between the lower face of the plate and the upper face of the support, and means for causing relative movement of approach between the plate and the support to press the bend. v

29. A machine for finishing the edge of a piece of leather or the like having, in combination, a

support for the piece, a shrinking tool shaped to correspond to the outline of the edge,lm eans for causing the tool to press against the piece, to

dwell for an interval in contact Withit and then to be separated irom'it, `and means for 'varying the interval of the dwell. y,

30. A machine for iinishing the edge oa piece of leather or the like having, in combination, Va support for the piece, a shrinking' tool for shrink- Ving the piece on one side along the edge thereof of leather orV theA like having, in combination, .a support for the piece, a plate for bending up the margin of the piece, a shrinking tool shaped to correspond to the outline of Athe edge to be finished, means for moving the tool toward the support, and adjustable Vmeans for Ylimiting the eX- tent of such movement.

32. lIfne method of nishing the edge of a piece of leather or the like which comprises holding the piece from movement with respect to a support, forming a bend alongan edge thereof, applying a shrinking agent to sear and shrink said edge, and pressing the shrunken edge against the support.

33. The method of finishing the edge of a piece of leather or the like which comprises holding Vand pressing the shrunken edge.

JOSEPH Fossa.v 

